BENGALURU: KARNATAKA Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite the release of Rs 22,400.58 crore in drought relief sought by Karnataka, citing extensive crop losses across the state, and raised the demands of sugarcane farmers for better prices and a fair share of ethanol allocation.
Addressing a gathering in the presence of Modi at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), Shivakumar said Karnataka had received the second-lowest rainfall in 70 years, with 226 of the 240 taluks declared drought-affected. Nearly 58 lakh hectares of crops had suffered damage, with estimated losses of Rs 62,482 crore, he said.
Shivakumar also submitted a memorandum to the PM, seeking early approval and release of Rs 22,400.58 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to support affected farmers.
Drawing attention to the concerns of sugarcane growers, he said farmers were demanding `5,500 per tonne against the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of `3,650 per tonne for the 2026-27 season.
The Chief Minster also sought a revision of the minimum support price of sugar, which, he said, had remained unchanged at Rs 31/kg since 2019, and urged the Centre to ensure Karnataka received a fair share of ethanol allocation.
Highlighting Karnataka’s contribution to the country’s industrial, technological and scientific development, the CM recalled, “Shivanasamudra generated Asia’s first electricity in 1902 to power the Kolar Gold Fields, Bengaluru was India’s first electrified city and Karnataka was home to the country’s first aircraft manufacturing facility established by HAL.”
The CM also added that Karnataka was the first state to introduce an industrial policy and a dedicated startup policy. Bengaluru hosted the first global research and development centre of Texas Instruments in India and the country’s first iPhone assembly plant, he added.
Describing Bengaluru as a major technology hub, Shivakumar said the city had the world’s second-largest pool of AI and machine learning talent and Asia’s second-largest AI-native cluster after Beijing. Karnataka also had India’s largest chip-design ecosystem.
“More than 1.5 lakh engineers graduate annually from the state, while women’s participation in its industrial workforce stood at 37% against the national average of 18%,” he added.
The Chief Minister also sought greater Centre-State cooperation to accelerate Bengaluru’s infrastructure development. He said the state aimed to expand the Namma Metro network to 500 km over the next 10 years and sought time-bound approvals for pending projects, including the proposed Sarjapur-Hebbal corridor.
He invoked Basavanna’s philosophy of Kayakave Kailasa and the Bhagavad Gita’s message of performing one’s duty sincerely. Quoting Kuvempu’s vision of Vishwamanava, he said governments should rise above narrow boundaries and work for the welfare of all. “The people’s mandate gives political parties the responsibility to govern, but their ultimate goal should always be to serve people and improve the quality of life of every citizen,” he said.
Reconsider W Ghats ESA notification: CM to Centre
Shivakumar in the memorandum also urged the Centre to reconsider the proposed declaration of 20,668 sq km across 1,449 villages in 10 districts of Karnataka as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) under the Western Ghats conservation plan.
He said the proposed restrictions could affect the livelihoods of generations of families living in nearly 1,500 villages. While reiterating the state’s commitment to protecting forests and wildlife, he sought a comprehensive ground-level survey, respect for the unanimous resolution passed by the Karnataka Legislature and consultations with the state government before finalising the notification.
